


Acquired Tastes

by bluspirits



Category: Daredevil (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Food, Food Trucks, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 22:02:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6875401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluspirits/pseuds/bluspirits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kirsten decides to take Matt on a tour of some of San Francisco’s best food trucks. </p><p>Featuring: weird hipster food trucks, fun with super senses, and Matt stealing Kirsten’s food.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acquired Tastes

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse my very bad, very cliche food descriptions. I also feel like I may be overselling the weird food trucks angle. So just don't get your hopes up. Hope you enjoy!

Kirsten walks into Matt’s office and drops some kind of box of food onto his desk without any warning. The loud thump snaps him out of the papers he’s been reading. 

“What’s this?” he asks. And he honestly doesn’t know. He smells chocolate and icing, which would lead him to guess cake of some kind, but he also smells salt. Like, a lot of salt. So he’s a little confused. 

“Lunch,” Kirsten says simply.

Matt sniffs again, and is still lost on what exactly Kirsten is giving him.

“Well, I guess not lunch, exactly. You probably wouldn’t count just cupcakes as lunch.” she pushes the box a little closer to him. 

“Cupcakes?” Matt repeats dumbly. So that’s what they are. “Why do they smell so salty?” 

“I have gotten you three chocolate sea salt cupcakes,” she sounds very proud of herself. 

“Wow. For me? You shouldn’t have,” Matt says, reaching out to pull the box closer to him. 

“But I did,” he can tell Kirsten is smiling. “I mean, they have the most amazing food trucks around here, and with your senses, they’ve gotta be something special.” 

“Sure, but salty cupcakes?” Matt raises an eyebrow. With his senses, he’s willing to bet this is going to be like drinking hot chocolate made with saltwater. 

“Dark chocolate and sea salt go really well together, actually. This is just like that, but with cake.” Kirsten reaches out and picks up one of the cupcakes. She peels off the paper and takes a bite. 

“That’s really good,” she says, around a mouth full of salty cake, words accompanied by a small sigh. 

Matt picks up one of the cupcakes too and just holds it for a few seconds. 

“Come on,” Kirsten says. 

Matt resists rolling his eyes and puts the cupcake in his mouth. And wow, that is salty. The icing is a soft sweet vanilla until his tongue hits one of the pieces of salt, and then it turns sharp and burning. The chocolate cake then takes over, slightly bitter dark chocolate that relieves some of the sting of all that salt. The mixer used to make these had caramel on it, maybe the truck serves caramel cupcakes too, and the bits of caramel he can taste balance out the salt and chocolate. It’s not bad. 

“Well?” Kirsten asks when he’s finished the cupcake. 

“It was good,” Matt admits grudgingly, knowing that saying this will open the door for Kirsten to try out many more weird foods on him. 

“You’re welcome,” Kirsten says, leaning across the desk and kissing him gently. She tastes like sea salt. 

“I’m thinking of trying the waffle truck tomorrow, what do you say?” she asks as she walks out. 

“It’s happening no matter what I say, isn’t it?” Matt smiles at her. 

“Mmm, smart and a superhero,” Kirsten laughs. “What a catch.” 

She walks out the door, leaving the last cupcake on the desk. Matt waits a few seconds and looks around before reaching out, picking it up and quickly putting it in his mouth. 

He can smell chocolate crumbs on the floor for the rest of the day. 

\---

“Okay, waffle truck today,” Kirsten says as she almost drags Matt down the street. “Are you excited? You _should _be excited.”__

__“I’m definitely not as excited as you are,” Matt smiles. “I don’t think anyone is as excited as you are.”_ _

__“Well, waffles are great, Matt.” Kirsten says, the way one would dispense valuable life changing pieces of wisdom._ _

__Matt nods and hums in vague agreement. Waffles are nice, but he doesn’t feel as passionate about them as Kirsten does._ _

__Kirsten looks at him. “I don’t think you’re appropriately excited. You’ll see.”_ _

__Matt lets himself be pulled towards the truck and listens to Kirsten read off the menu. The truck smells overwhelmingly like dough, syrup and powdered sugar. Also bacon grease._ _

__“They have waffles with bacon inside them. Isn’t that great?”_ _

__“Yeah, Kirsten.” Matt agrees fondly._ _

__“And coconut waffles, cinnamon roll waffles, red velvet waffles. What do you want?”_ _

__“I don’t know. The red velvet ones sound nice.”_ _

__“Right, you’re committed to your aesthetic. Lots of red.” Kirsten rubs the back of his neck. “I’ll get the bacon ones and give you some if you want.”_ _

__“Sounds good.”_ _

__They make it to the front of the line and Kirsten orders the waffles. The last person up here got a lot of whipped cream on his food, and Matt feels like someone has just emptied a whole bottle of it onto the counter._ _

__She hands him a paper box that’s heavy with food and beginning to get soggy from the icing. The waffles smell like cream cheese and strawberries. Kirsten presses a fork into his empty hand._ _

__Her food smells like salt, smothering the sugary scent of his. He digs his fork into the tough, slightly rubbery waffle. Sticky icing gets on his fingers._ _

__The cream cheese icing is watery sweet and a little tart, and it coats his teeth. He’ll probably be tasting it for days. They used beet juice instead of red food coloring to make the waffles red, which makes him grateful. Red dye 40 tastes terrible. Maybe the waffles look more brown than red because of the choice, but it’s not like he cares._ _

__“Hey,” Kirsten says, putting a hand on his shoulder and moving her forkful of bacon waffle towards his face. “Want some?”_ _

__Matt nods and opens his mouth. It tastes like a nice bland waffle that's filled like a jelly donut with grease and salt. He chokes a little. Kirsten pats him on the back._ _

__“You good? Too much?”_ _

__Matt shovels more red velvet into his mouth to try to wash out the fatty bacon taste. It kind of works. Now everything tastes like cream cheese too. Cream cheese and grease._ _

__“Wow. You get stabbed on an almost weekly basis, but you can’t eat bacon.” Kirsten hands him her water bottle._ _

__“I can eat bacon,” Matt says when it doesn’t feel like he’s just drank all the fryer grease at a McDonald’s._ _

__“Okay, I get it. You’re very sensitive.” Kirsten nods thoughtfully. “I’ll be more careful about the next one.”_ _

__“Next one?” Matt asks._ _

__“Oh yeah. Did you think we were done? I am going to make sure you put your superpowers to good use and experience as much good food as you can.” Kirsten thinks for a minute. “But nothing too salty. Or spicy, probably.”_ _

__\---_ _

__This truck smells like grease, oil, and seafood. He can hear the sizzling of fryer oil. It seems kind of like a combination of a fast food restaurant and a fish market. At least to his senses._ _

__Kirsten takes his hand and points off in the distance with her free hand. “Can you go over there and wait while I order? I want to surprise you.”_ _

__Matt nods, trying not to be too worried about what she’ll pick. He trusts her._ _

__“And cover your ears or something,” Kirsten shouts after Matt as he starts to walk away. He turns to face her and walks backwards, pressing his fingers to his ears like that will help at all._ _

__“You know this doesn’t do anything, right? I can still hear you,” Matt shouts back at her._ _

__“What did you say?” Kirsten points at her ear. “I’m sorry, I was ignoring you,”_ _

__He rolls his eyes and turns around, hands still over his ears. He finds a picnic table and sits down to wait for Kirsten. Covering his ears really does nothing, but he does try not to listen to her. He focuses on the conversation of another couple in line and ignores Kirsten’s voice. It’s a little hard. He loves her voice._ _

__After ten minutes of listening two people argue about the merits of chicken and waffles, he feels Kirsten’s hand on his shoulder. She sets a plate down in front of him and then sits down on the other side of the table. She pushes a basket of food towards him._ _

__He can smell the salt of seafood and the grease of a fryer, along with the subtler, cleaner scents of lettuce and tomato._ _

__He reaches down and touches the food. His fingers hit soft bread. Kirsten laughs quietly at him. “It’s not going to bite you,” she says. "Maybe pinch you."_ _

__“Kirsten, this sandwich has a whole crab in it.” he pokes at it. “Like the whole crab. Shell and everything.”_ _

__“Yes. You’re very observant, aren’t you, Daredevil?”_ _

__He frowns at her. “Do I just eat the whole thing? What about the shell?”_ _

__“It’s a soft shelled crab,” Kirsten says simply._ _

__Matt stares blankly at her._ _

__“You can just eat it, shell and everything.”_ _

__Matt takes a few seconds, figuring how to best approach the sandwich while Kirsten tries not to laugh._ _

__“What did you get?” he asks while avoiding the sandwich. He can smell fried dough and a little bit of chocolate underneath it, but he can’t tell what it is._ _

__“Deep fried oreos coated in funnel cake,” she says, eating one. Matt puts down the sandwich and reaches over to grab one._ _

__Kirsten frowns at him. “You sure you want to eat that? With your sensitive,” she waves a hand around vaguely, “senses.”_ _

__Matt nods. “It’s fine.”_ _

__“Oh my god. You choke on bacon, but a deep fried oreo? No problem.” Kirsten shakes her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand you, Murdock.”_ _

__“There are good days and there are bad days,” Matt says with a smile, popping an oreo in his mouth._ _

__Kirsten sighs. “You’ll tell me on the bad days, right?”_ _

__“They’re not that bad.” He shrugs, slightly regretting having said anything._ _

__“Matt, you can always tell me if something is too loud, or too spicy, or whatever, you know?” Kirsten speaks softly, leans in closer and strokes the back of his hand._ _

__“I know.” Matt quickly shoves another oreo in his mouth so that he won’t be expected to say anything else._ _

__Kirsten nods, and doesn’t push any farther. She pulls the plate of oreos closer to her. “And stop stealing my food,” she sticks her tongue out at him. He pretends not to notice._ _

__Matt waits until her back is turned to grab another oreo._ _

__\---_ _

__“Damn.” Kirsten says after a reading the menu on the food truck._ _

__“What?” Matt asks. He's not sure exactly whether she's upset, annoyed, or disappointed, and now he's a little worried._ _

__“Nothing,” she responds quickly._ _

__Matt nods and waits. They reach the front of the line and unlike the other trucks Kirsten has brought him to, this one doesn’t smell like grease or oil. It smells like salad dressing and chemicals, pesticides, but not enough to be overwhelming, like the truck serves organic vegetables from people who aren’t very careful about being organic._ _

__“Hi, could I get the spinach wheatgrass dairy free ice cream, please?” Matt groans. Kirsten pauses and lowers her voice. Matt can still hear her clearly, and not because of his senses. She’s stage whispering. “As large a size as you have. It’s for my boyfriend here. He’s experimenting with veganism.”_ _

__She waves a hand at Matt, who sighs loudly and bangs his head against the side of the truck. Kirsten turns and smiles at him. The man running the truck nods._ _

__“Good for you,” he says to Matt, “Veganism is very healthy, and much better for the environment. Cattle farming causes most of the pollution on the planet. And did you know you can get all the protein you need from soybeans or edamame? Without any of the cruelty towards our animal friends.”_ _

__“Oh, really?” Matt says without lifting his head, trying to sound sincerely interested and failing miserably._ _

__“Really!” the man says, compensating for Matt’s complete lack of enthusiasm with way too much of his own. “Being vegan can help prevent you from getting cancer, and heart disease!"_ _

__“That sounds fantastic.”_ _

__The man nods frantically. "It is!" he hands Kirsten a cup full of ice cream._ _

__“Aww, it comes with a mini spoon! That’s so cute,” she says as she takes the ice cream, a little too excited about spoons. A little too excited about everything, especially when Matt is going to have to suffer through this frozen wheatgrass smoothie real soon. He is not excited._ _

__“Why didn’t you get anything?” he asks when she hands him the paper bowl of ice cream. Or what’s pretending to be ice cream._ _

__“I’m not a rabbit,” Kirsten says haughtily, and Matt pouts at her. She smiles back._ _

__He takes a deep breath and sticks a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. They used a combination of almond milk and coconut milk to replace the dairy, and he can taste both of them clearly under the spinach, vanilla and xanthan gum. It’s creamy and smooth, except for the little pieces of spinach and wheatgrass that haven’t been blended out and get caught between his teeth. He can taste a trace of chemicals used on the supposedly organic spinach. It tastes a tiny bit bitter. Kind of like the taste in your mouth after chewing on grass for a while._ _

__“This tastes like cold leaves and chemicals.” he pauses. “Is it green?”_ _

__Kirsten has to take a minute to think about that, which is a little worrying. “Yeah, I guess. Like a pale green. Green-grey. With, like, little green dots in it.”_ _

__“That sounds,” he stabs the tiny biodegradable spoon into the ice cream. “nice?”_ _

__She hums in agreement and leans forward to kiss him. She takes the spoon from his hand and tries a bit._ _

__“That’s like a frozen salad,” she says after a second, frowning._ _

__Matt nods. “I know, right?”_ _

__“Ice cream should not taste like that.”_ _

__He nods again and frowns down at the ice cream. “This is your fault.”_ _

__Kirsten gasps in mock offense. “I am not the villain who decided to ruin ice cream for themselves and others. I should send my superhero boyfriend after them. Make them pay for their crimes.”_ _

__“I don’t know. I think fighting someone over ice cream is against some kind of superhero code of ethics or something,”_ _

__“You think I’m talking about you? I meant Spider-Man, my other superhero boyfriend.”_ _

__“Noooo!” Matt almost shouts, drawing confused looks from the other people near the food truck and laughs from Kirsten. “I feel betrayed. You said you’d include me if Peter said yes, but instead you keep him all for yourself! How could you? We were all going to be so happy together!”_ _

__Kirsten doubles over laughing. “Sorry.” she replies, still laughing and not sounding at all sorry. She kisses him on the cheek and puts a of spoonful of ice cream in his mouth._ _

__“I bet you don’t give Spider-Man spinach ice cream.” Matt pouts._ _

__“No, the ice cream is only for you. It’s because I love you more than him.”_ _

__“I love you too.”_ _

__\---_ _

__“So, today, I have two options for you.” Kirsten sits next to Matt on the roof of the building and sets down two bags. One smells like beef and spices and the other like bird maybe. And teriyaki._ _

__“One, a deconstructed samosa from the indian truck that drives by the office every week. I finally caught up with them. Two, a duck taco from a dumpling truck. I don’t know why, don’t ask.”_ _

__“A what taco?”_ _

__“Duck taco. Like a fish taco or a taco taco, but with a bird instead.”_ _

__“Okay.” he nods._ _

__“So, what’ll it be? Duck or samosa?” Kirsten raises the corresponding bag with each word._ _

__“Samosa?” Matt answers._ _

__“A very good choice, Daredevil,” she reaches into one of the bags and pulls out a cardboard bowl. She presses it into his hands along with a fork._ _

__The samosa is a mixture of ground beef, spices, and potatoes. There are onions too, he notices after a second. Pepper, cayenne, coriander, cumin, and salt. It burns a bit, but tastes good and spicy, and overpowers the slightly under-cooked beef and adds flavor to the bland potatoes. Kirsten notices his face and hands him a bottle of water._ _

__“You know water makes things more spicy,” he says._ _

__“Huh. That can’t be fun for you.”_ _

__He shrugs. "I've had worse."_ _

__“Duck taco?” she offers, holding out the half eaten taco._ _

__“Nah, it’s fine.” he shrugs again. It’s good, it’s really good. For all that he complains about the food truck kick Kirsten seems to be on, she’s generally made pretty good choices. It’s just spicy._ _

__He takes another bite, more potatoes this time to balance out the spices. She nods and continues to eat her taco._ _

__He feels a large drop of blood slide down his leg from the painful gash on his calf down to his ankle. He shifts slightly and hopes the red isn’t visible._ _

__It is. “You’re bleeding.” Kirsten says simply, without shock or disapproval, just matter of fact._ _

__“Really?” he responds like he hasn’t noticed. She isn’t fooled._ _

__“Yeah.” she sighs, puts down her food and stands. “I’m going to get some band-aids.”_ _

__“You might need something bigger than band-aids,” Matt says after her._ _

__“I know. It’s you. No paper cuts, just stab wounds, right?” she shouts back._ _

__He doesn’t respond, just puts down his samosa and waits. And tries some of Kirsten’s duck taco while she’s gone. It’s salty, teriyaki sauce on top of the meat, and the tortilla around it is soft and fresh. It tastes homemade. There is also creamy avocado spread on it. It’s a good taco._ _

__“Oh my god.” Kirsten says when she returns._ _

__“What?”_ _

__“Take another bite, I will steal your samosa and make you bandage your own bleeding leg.” her tone makes it clear she isn’t messing around._ _

__Matt puts the taco down._ _

__“Okay. Show me the hole in your leg. Does it need stitches?”_ _

__“No, I don’t think so.”_ _

__He raises his leg and rests it near her. She grabs his ankle, rolls up his pants and begins to wrap gauze around the cut._ _

__“I was going to take you to an ice cream truck after this. An ice cream truck. The best kind of food truck!” Kirsten says as she works._ _

__“And now?” He asks. He hopes she still will. He’s not going to admit it, but he does like the idea of an ice cream truck._ _

__“Now, you’ll have to wait for me to wash the blood off my hands before we can go.”_ _

__“Damn.”_ _

__“I know. You’re slowing me down, Murdock.” she takes a forkful of samosa and sticks it in her mouth, then gives him one._ _

__\---_ _

__Kirsten hands him a popsicle. He can’t really identify its flavor or anything through smell. It’s cold, especially after the spicy samosa from earlier. It tastes like sugar, corn syrup, dye, and chemicals. For some reason, he doesn’t mind._ _

__“Don't worry. It’s red. Can’t afford to mess with your aesthetic.”_ _

__He sticks his tongue out at her. She laughs and licks her own ice cream cone._ _

__Kirsten kisses his red stained lips. She tastes like chocolate, a trace of teriyaki, and cherry flavoring._ _

__“Thank you. For all of this,” he says when they pull apart._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:
> 
> Matt takes one smell of the food Kirsten is holding. “I will not eat that. I have standards.” 
> 
> “Ooo, standards. Did you just find those five minutes ago, because I sure didn't see them last week.”
> 
> Matt shakes his head. “I will not put that in my mouth.” 
> 
> “Come on. The truck was called the Mash and Grab. It was cute.” 
> 
> “I’m pretty sure it also had a D health rating. It smelled like someone gave birth in there.” 
> 
> Kirsten wrinkles her nose. 
> 
> “Okay. No fruit loop quesadilla. Got it.”


End file.
